Run Mileages (Brett)

This month at work has been health month and the one aspect associated with it is seeing what everyone’s mileages were either walking or running. Upon seeing what my mileages are a number of people have been asking how me how do I do it, not only from a time perspective but also physically.

This is when I break out into one of my random philosophies on the world…so here is one of them. Many will follow in due course.

Regarding finding the time to run or do some form of exercise all you need is half an hour of your day whether in the morning or evening. So instead of merely working that extra hour at work because it is “the thing to do” or faffing around the house, just crack on and spend that half an hour doing some exercise as you will feel a lot better for it and it also provides with some me to time think about the world and how to solve the euro crises or if you are feeling really inspired you can question how relative is quantum physics… I just generally ponder about the weather and what is for dinner during my runs in the week.

Regarding the mileages which I run. There are a number of fundamentals associated with how I manage to run the miles which I do.

1. Enjoyment – I really enjoy running as to me it is an excuse for me being outdoors no matter what the weather. When I see these guys running and they look totally miserable as they think they have to run at a certain speed or HR I enjoy joining them getting them to slow down and relax because if they hate what they do they will never get back out there tomorrow.
2. Intensity –I just generally run at a level which feels good for the day and take things from there. Fair enough I might throw in some “hurt” when in the mood but that is generally VERY randomly as I am generally to busy enjoying cruising around.
3. Time – I always try and make time to have a run so for example if I have a huge work load I will make sure that I get to work extra early so that I know that I can run in the evening or visa versa.
4. Rest – The key difference between any pro athlete and sociable runner is the fact that he/she is able to rest and have sport massages, thus when I feel rather knackered I will either take the day off or merely go for a light cruisy run as when you try and act like a hero the only thing which it will lead to is an injury.
5. Socialising – It is great running with mates, you don’t have to always focus on your training program. Just heading out with them no matter what is their standard will provide the opportunity for good banter. My weekly running partner definitely has this approach as he is very rapid compared to me but hopefully my banter is of a light enough nature for him to keep coming back for more. Even if you are on a long run and you see someone battling along join them for a few minutes as it will refresh the both of you mentally and physically and you never know who you will meet as running is the great equaliser in society.